Skirt Cafe is an on-line community dedicated to exploring, promoting and advocating skirts and kilts as a fashion choice for men, formerly known as men in skirts. We do this in the context of men's fashion freedom --- an expansion of choices beyond those commonly available for men to include kilts, skirts and other garments. We recognize a diversity of styles our members feel comfortable wearing, and do not exclude any potential choices. Continuing dialog on gender is encouraged in the context of fashion freedom for men. See here for more details.
The "outseam" is the measurement of length from the waist to hem. Measuring the "inseam" on skirts is an impossibility as they don't have them!
For what it is worth - - -
Outseam - seems to be incorrect - Please use HEM LENGTH instead and you will be communicating in the uniform language of a tailor/seamstress !
With outseam the measurement would have to be where there is a seam.
Not all skirts have a seam in an uniform location at the side(s) of the skirt.
Some skirts have a shorter HEM LENGTH at the front (apron) than they do
on the sides and back.
It is a wicked world out there all those strange sizes Juniors; Misses; Petites;
Average; Tall; Women; Plus and One Size Fits All. Fortunately the Half Sizes
have been retired.
Then the sizes have NUMBERS - OMG what's a person to do ?
Odd numbers for Juniors - Even for Misses - Larger numbers for Plus - then
the P for petite A for Average T for Tall W for women and the final injustice
actual measurements in inches !!!
"Skirt-Kilt-ON"
rma
yes they need actual measurements not all those goofy made up
numbers
Through experience I have found that a 14 size in women's skirts is about a 34 inch waist and a size 16 a 36 inch waist. But not always. I have size 16 skirts that are really a 14 and a size 12 that is also a 14. With Small, Medium and Large then Medium is size 10 to 12 and a Large is a 14 to 16. But not always. If I am interested in buying a skirt on ebay I ALWAYS, I repeat ALWAYS contact the seller and ask for the measurement across the top of the skirt and the length down the front and if the length down the back is different. At least I can minimise the possiblility of the skirt not fitting.
Whoever thought up the measurement system was, as Mr Spock would say, "Illogical".
Not heard of the outseam before. But in general the outseam measurement would then be slightly larger than a measure from waist to hem down the front?
Sinned
I believe in offering every assistance short of actual help but then mainly just want to be left to be myself in all my difference and uniqueness.
There used to be a rule of thumb (now how the heck did that happen?):
Take the misses size number and add 20 to it for the waist (or where ever that is) measurement in inches.
So take the size 14 add 20 and you get the honest 34 inch waist - old school measuring method.
Now all the vanity clothing manufacturers distort that so make that an 18 - no wait she won't like that
make it a sweet 16 so by their method 16 + 14 = a 34 ???
So that is what you get now with lycra and spandex in the tape measure. LOL!
"Skirt-Kilt-ON"
rma
"YES SKIRTING MATTERS"!
"Kilt-On" -or- as the case may be "Skirt-On" !
WHY ?
Isn't wearing a kilt enough?
Well a skirt will do in a pinch!
Make mine short and don't you dare think of pinching there !
I bring my little metal reel tape and lay it along the inside of the waist laid flat. 16.5" = 33" round the waist. Regardless of the L or XL or 16 or 14 the tape tells no lies ahd the waist will fit me perfectly.
I have however just had delivery of my little Seasonal present to myself.....a biscuit/beige or dark khaki A-line skirt made to measure, 20" drop from the waist with pleats at front & rear and two nice big slash pockets for my hands exactly where I like them. No pic. yet, but watch this space....
It is a wicked world out there all those strange sizes Juniors; Misses; Petites;
Average; Tall; Women; Plus and One Size Fits All. Fortunately the Half Sizes
have been retired.
Then the sizes have NUMBERS - OMG what's a person to do ?
Odd numbers for Juniors - Even for Misses - Larger numbers for Plus - then
the P for petite A for Average T for Tall W for women and the final injustice
actual measurements in inches !!!
The link http://blogs.webmd.com/pamela-peeke-md/ ... ymore.html addresses the change in women's proportions in recent years (and there has admittedly been a similar size increase in the girth of men as well). The article also states that "There was actually a uniform sizing system for women’s clothes until the US Department of Commerce dropped it in 1983 noting that the traditional sizes were no longer reflecting the size and shape of the average consumer. Today, in order to cater to women’s vanity, as women have gotten larger, designers have manipulated sizes so that truly larger sizes are marked as smaller. A size 8 in the 1950's is now a size 4 or less today. Sizing from brand to brand is now so variable that most women fill their closets with at least two or three sizes."
So it would appear that prior to 1983, there was actually a recognized clothing size scheme for women in the USA.
I think that moving to the waist measurement and skirt length is the most logical measurement system. When I am thinking of buying a skirt off ebay those are the two measurements I request. What other measurements would really matter to you when buying a skirt? The measure at the hemline would tell you how flared the skirt was but with really flared skirts suck as gypsy type ones then you get really big numbers. And let's face it, women like really small numbers, right? ( Ducks head to avoid flying objects )
Sinned
I believe in offering every assistance short of actual help but then mainly just want to be left to be myself in all my difference and uniqueness.
r.m.anderson wrote:partlyscot welcome you are now no longer a lurker !
Hope you come back and post frequently and more often.
Using the fitting rooms you will get used to it !
So welcome aboard !
"Skirt-Kilt-ON"
rma
Thanks for the welcome, I visited the thrift stores again today, and while my GF was shopping for Christmas stocking stuffers , I picked out several possible skirts and took them to the changing rooms. Nobody appeared to notice, and certainly no comments were made. I ended up with 2 more skirts for my collection. $11 for 2!
the final injustice actual measurements in inches !!!
What on earth is wrong with inches? We had a chance in the 70's to go metric but we fudged it and backed out. (whatever happened to the metrication board?) .
I hate it when people say just under a metre - in other words a yard.
in the beginning of the seventies we used the metric system for all our science subjects - biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics. But with me now it's all a matter of context. If I am discussing or working with science matters then metric is ok with me. But when talking more generally I am more comfortable with pounds and ounces and feet ind inches. Thus I know that my waist measurement if 34 inches but I have to think really hard to know that that is 86 cm. I am 5 foot 8 inches but I have had to use a calculator to knoe that I am 172.7 cm tall. My perception of weight measurements is similar.
As for the metrication board knowing our uncivil service it is probably still in existence paying out vast sums for people to apparently do nothing.
Sinned
Last edited by Sinned on Thu Dec 20, 2012 7:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I believe in offering every assistance short of actual help but then mainly just want to be left to be myself in all my difference and uniqueness.
Sinned wrote:As for the metrication board knowing our uncivil service it is probably still in existence paying out vast sums for people to apparently do nothing.
Following the 1979 general election and another change of government, Sally Oppenheim, described by the last director of the Metrication Board, Jim Humble, as having "been almost the lone but persistent critic of the metric programme" was appointed Minister of State for Consumer Affairs. On 14 November 1979, six months after her appointment, she announced that no more statutory orders would be made regarding metrication – continued progress would be on a voluntary basis. The following year the Metrication Board was wound up, one of the 457 Quangos* that were wound up in the “Quango bonfire” of 1979–81.
* For non-Brits in the readership a Quango is a Quasi-Automomuos Non-Governmental Organisation.
Have fun,
Ian.
PS Petrol sales went metric a year or so after the Metrication Board was scrapped
Do not argue with idiots; they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
Cogito ergo sum - Descartes
Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum - Ambrose Bierce
But although they sell petrol by the litre and have done for some years now - we measure our cars performance in MPG. So we have no idea really of the true cost.
Circa 1776 we (in the USA) threw the King out but kept his silly measurements.
Then someone took the world to task using metric measurements being a fraction
of the earths measurements rather than the king's.
Then in the mid-late 1900s an effort was made to convert the Northern Hemisphere
to the metric system - well except for Canada how did that work out for you ?
Way too much to change and costly to boot so I would guess that until the Mayan
Calendar runs out we are committed to using this goofy system. Well I guess I would
be wrong the Mayan Calendar expires tomorrow and the world ends as we know it
but we will still be using this ancient druid method of measurements.
But at least we are not using the measurements that were given to Noah in building
the ark. "So what is a cubit" ?
God forbid we use some standard of measurement least we resurrect Babylon !
I dare say I am glad I don't have to measure my kilts and skirts in cubits !
"YES SKIRTING MATTERS"!
"Kilt-On" -or- as the case may be "Skirt-On" !
WHY ?
Isn't wearing a kilt enough?
Well a skirt will do in a pinch!
Make mine short and don't you dare think of pinching there !
